{"id":34813,"date":"2021-03-18T14:26:02","date_gmt":"2021-03-18T18:26:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/cinema-crazed.com\/blog\/?p=34813"},"modified":"2021-03-18T14:26:02","modified_gmt":"2021-03-18T18:26:02","slug":"interview-with-filmmaker-ashley-maria-women-in-horror-month-2021","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cinema-crazed.com\/blog\/2021\/03\/18\/interview-with-filmmaker-ashley-maria-women-in-horror-month-2021\/","title":{"rendered":"Interview with Filmmaker Ashley Maria [Women in Horror Month 2021]"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>Please introduce yourself.<\/strong>
\nI\u2019m Ashley Maria, I\u2019m located in Los Angeles, and I recently launched my first feature film, Pioneers in Skirts, a documentary which follows my own journey as a director in Hollywood and the obstacles women confront in their careers. I started out in the genre space \u2013 horror, comedy, action \u2013 but quickly saw how I would be treated in my career as \u201cjust a woman-director,\u201d even after winning a Directors Guild of America award for my first short film, \u201cFriday Night Fright.\u201d So, I had to make a movie to find solutions to create real change. That is Pioneers in Skirts which was released in 2020, now screening worldwide. I\u2019m now coming back to horror, developing my next feature \u2013 and very excited!<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

What is it that attracts you to the horror genre for your chosen field of creative work?<\/strong>
\nI\u2019m one of those kids that grew up on Goosebumps<\/a> and Twilight Zone<\/a> and will forever be a little messed up because of it, right? Oh gosh, and Scream.<\/a> Seeing that movie at a sleepover, when I was way too young to see it, was a defining moment for me. I like being scared, and I like making the movies I want to see. I like to mess with reality, bring in humor and wit, and just have a fun time with the audience. Horror is a genre that sets us up to have a conversation with the viewer. It\u2019s intimate. We\u2019re talking deepest, most terrifying fears here. I can play with the audience; they know I\u2019m there. And I love it.<\/p>\n

Who inspires you in your work and in life?<\/strong>
\nWes Craven<\/a> was a huge inspiration to me. In 2014, I had the opportunity to work with him and receive his mentorship. He complimented my work. Said I \u2018had what it takes\u2019 because of my grasp on comedy \u2013 comedy being, in his words, the conjoined twin of horror. He helped me trust myself and my instincts, and I will be forever grateful to him.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m also very inspired by the other women working in this field. We are a tight group and very supportive of each other, often helping each other on our projects.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m inspired when I see great work, and I\u2019m inspired when I\u2019m genuinely scared! I can\u2019t wait for haunted houses to open up again\u2026<\/p>\n

Women in horror have made great strides, but it\u2019s clear that a lot of work is still needed to make it a most inclusive genre. To you, what is the importance of a movement like Women in Horror Month?<\/strong>
\nSeeing women in these roles is good for both women and men. Women see that they are not the only one, and they see role models in the women you highlight. And men, they see that women can do this, too. It\u2019s not just a boy\u2019s club. It opens up the discussion on who gets to define the horror genre. Hint\u2026it\u2019s all of us.<\/p>\n

What would you tell an up-and-coming creative in the world of horror who sees that being a woman\/identifying as a woman as something that makes it so much more difficult at times?<\/strong>
\nThe numbers of women in horror can seem small, sure, but the community is large. Our work is original and terrifying. It\u2019s honest and relatable. And it\u2019s not just made up of directors! We have women in all specialties above and below the line ready to make great work. So, I would say, yes, it will be a challenge, but it\u2019s worth it and we\u2019ll do it together. Look at the women around you as your allies, not your competition. And, when you are in a position of leadership, hire womxn, hire BIPOC, and pay them what they\u2019re worth!<\/p>\n

What are your favorite bits of helpful advice that you have received about your work or your field?<\/strong>
\nWes Craven told me simply, \u201cit\u2019s never normal and always a challenge.\u201d He then went on to tell me endless stories, no matter the budget, of things that went wrong on his films, and how he had to pivot and get creative to make his films work.<\/p>\n

In honor of celebrating Women in Horror Month, who do you believe viewers should keep an eye on in terms of the creative ladies in horror?<\/strong>
\nBrea Grant!<\/a> She has launched a few films this year as a writer, director and actor, plus she\u2019s also featured in my film Pioneers in Skirts, so that\u2019s cool! Maritte Go, we went to USC together, she has a film coming out in the Blumhouse series; and Gigi Guerrero<\/a> who also works with Blumhouse and is freaking hilarious. Sounds like Jason Blum paid attention to the backlash when he said there weren\u2019t a lot of female horror directors, huh?<\/p>\n

What do you have coming soon that you can talk to us about?
\n<\/strong>Pioneers in Skirts, my first feature, is now released to the world! We are currently screening with the United Nations and taking the film globally for an Impact Relay to aid in a gender equitable pandemic recovery.<\/p>\n

That being said, every project moving forward will have this gender equity lens in my storytelling. And, my next project is a narrative horror\/comedy, set at Christmas time, but that\u2019s all I\u2019m saying now!<\/p>\n

Pop them links to follow your work here:<\/strong>
\nwww.pioneersinskirts.com
\nwww.ashley-maria.com
\nTwitter: @AshleyMaria
\nInstagram: https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/itsashleymaria\/<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Please introduce yourself. I\u2019m Ashley Maria, I\u2019m located in Los Angeles, and I recently launched my first feature film, Pioneers in Skirts, a documentary which follows my own journey as a director in Hollywood and the obstacles women confront in their careers. I started out in the genre space \u2013 horror, comedy, action \u2013 but […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8,2673],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-34813","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-interviews","category-wihm"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cinema-crazed.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34813","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cinema-crazed.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cinema-crazed.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cinema-crazed.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cinema-crazed.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=34813"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.cinema-crazed.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34813\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":34815,"href":"https:\/\/www.cinema-crazed.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34813\/revisions\/34815"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cinema-crazed.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=34813"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cinema-crazed.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=34813"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cinema-crazed.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=34813"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}